International Business Machines Corporation

Ofer Geva

Yaniv Maroz

Shiran Raz

Limor Plotkin

Jesse Peter Surprise

Timothy A Schell

Eduard Herkel

Asaf Regev

Christopher J Berry

Michael H Wood

Alexander Joel Suess

Nathaniel Douglas Hieter

Tsz-mei Ko

Frank Musante

Chris Aaron Cavitt

Brittany A Duffy

Rina Kipnis

Vadim Liberchuk

Amit Amos Atias

Limor Elizov

Ido Geldman

A system is provided to perform slack apportionment for an integrated circuit. The system includes a time calculation module and a slack apportion module. The time calculation module determines an arrival time corresponding to a target pin in signal communication with a signal path. The slack apportion module determines a total slack associated with the signal path and determines a slack threshold value that is equal to a portion of the total slack. The time calculation module further determines an apportioned arrival time associated with the signal path based on the arrival time and a delay offset value. The slack apportion module further determines a residual slack apportionment value based on a residual slack and the number of macros associated with the signal path. Accordingly, the time calculation module determines a modified apportioned arrival time based on the residual slack apportionment value and the apportioned arrival time.

Even apportionment based on positive timing slack threshold

Aspects of the invention include a computer-implemented method of hierarchical large block synthesis (HLBS). At least a partial ring is created around an HLBS structure. The partial ring includes at least one or more of filler elements, which are engineering change order (ECO) books for adding repeaters to wire dominated nets, and decoupling capacitors of relatively large sizes. Certain areas of the HLBS structure within the partial ring that exhibit a unique characteristic are identified. Decoupling capacitors of the relatively large sizes are disposed in the certain areas. A remainder of the areas of the HLBS structure are filled with engineering change order (ECO) books and decoupling capacitors of relatively small sizes.

Hierarchical large block synthesis (HLBS) filling

A method for distributing deep trench (DT) capacitance in an integrated circuit (IC) design is provided. The method includes forming a placement block that includes blockages defining openings in interstitial regions among the blockages, superimposing the placement block over the IC design and providing distributed DT capacitance to the IC design. The providing of the distributed DT capacitance includes adding DT capacitance cells through the openings to portions of the IC design where there are no reserved blocks.

Deep trench capacitor distribution

A system to develop an integrated circuit includes a latch identifier module to identify a first child latch placed at a first location in a first child macro of a parent macro and a second child latch placed at a second location in a second child macro of the parent macro. The second child latch is located away from the first child latch. The system further includes a latch location optimization module and a latch placement module. The latch location optimization module determines a target timing parameter threshold and determines a first actual timing parameter. The latch placement module changes the first location of the first child latch and/or the second location of the second child latch to generate an optimized parent macro based on the changed locations. The latch location optimization module re-executes the latch optimization process to determine a second actual timing parameter based on the changed locations.

Out-of-context feedback hierarchical large block synthesis (HLBS) optimization

Generating a design of an integrated circuit by analyzing a physical design of an integrated circuit by determining, for a pin of a circuit of the integrated circuit, that a candidate timing constraint for signal arrival time at the pin is later than a current timing constraint for signal arrival time at the pin, determining that a slack value associated with the current timing constraint has a greater negative value than a predefined negative slack threshold value, determining that the current timing constraint is within a user-defined range of signal arrival time values associated with the pin, determining that the candidate timing constraint is earlier than a latest-allowable signal arrival time at the pin, setting the current timing constraint equal to the candidate timing constraint, and generating a revised physical design of the integrated circuit that incorporates the current timing constraint.

Integrated circuit design with optimized timing constraint configuration

Zero wire load based assertions are generated. A zero wire load report is generated for a set of logic in a hardware description language corresponding to a circuit design. A set of assertions is identified for the circuit design by parsing the zero wire load report based in part on real data values corresponding to best case delays for one or more input pins and one or more output pins in a plurality of macros of the circuit design. A circuit may be fabricated based on the set of assertions.

Circuit generation based on zero wire load assertions

A computer system for estimating timing convergence using assertion comparisons. The computer system receives predefined golden assertions associated with a macro to be tested. The computer system executes the macro to obtain current feedback assertion values. The computer system calculates one or more metrics based on a comparison between the current feedback assertion values and values of one or more different sets of assertions. The computer system estimates a time to convergence based on the one or more calculated metrics. The computer system generates a schedule based on the estimated time to convergence.

Estimating timing convergence using assertion comparisons

Embodiments describing an approach to detecting negative paths for a circuit design based on a circuit timing test of the circuit design. Assigning each negative path to a logic bucket, an integration bucket, or a macro bucket, wherein the logic bucket corresponds to logic design flaws, the integration bucket corresponds to integration design flaws, and the macro bucket corresponds to macro design flaws or design flaws residing within a macro of the circuit design. Detecting a modification to the circuit design based on the logic design flaws, the integration design flaws, and the macro design flaws, and applying the modification to the circuit design to enable manufacturing an integrated circuit, wherein an overall delay between two latches of the integrated circuit is below a predetermined threshold.

Modifying a circuit design

In some examples, a system for modifying circuit can include a processor to detect a previous routed top level circuit design that was proven to close timing within a predetermined range and congestion below a threshold level. The processor can also detect a new pin to be added to a new circuit design and detect user input indicating a bounding box corresponding to a new macro boundary in the previous routed top level circuit design. Additionally, the processor can identify a location of a net in the previous circuit design corresponding to the new pin, wherein the new pin is placed at an intersection between the net and the bounding box. Furthermore, the processor can manufacture a circuit based on the previous circuit design and the placement of the new pin at the intersection between the net and the bounding box.

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Ramat Hasaron, Israel

Ofer Geva